DLC coating can be used for vascular stents to prevent the stainless steel substrate from eluting Ni and Cr by
plastic deformation and corrosion environment. The stress corrosion cracking (SCC) of Si-diamond-like
carbon (Si-DLC) coated on 316L stainless steel was studied in a simulated body environment of a deaerated
0.89 wt.% NaCl electrolyte at 37 °C. This paper investigated the effect of Si-DLC coating on the SCC of 316L SS
by slow-strain-rate test (SSRT), constant load test (CLT), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS).
The EIS data were monitored for the elastic and plastic regions under CLT to determine the electrochemical
behavior of the passive film during SCC phenomena. The Si-DLC coated steel exhibited more ductility than
uncoated steel and less susceptibility to SCC in this environment. According to X-ray photoelectron
spectroscopy (XPS) analysis, the film repassivation occurs due to the presence of the silicon oxide layer on
the Si-DLC film surface.